Deal: State of emergency extended through Sunday

Gov. Nathan Deal is expanding the state of emergency in Georgia to help with debris removal in the Augusta area and other areas of the state damaged by the winter storm.

Deal spoke to the media during a press conference Thursday afternoon at Daniel Field after surveying the damage in an aerial tour of the area with Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver and Columbia Commission Chairman Ron Cross.

The governor and the mayor praised the state and local preparations for and response to the storm.

Deal said the National Guard sent more than 150 guardsmen and about 41 vehicles the CSRA to help with cleanup.

About 95 percent of the roads in the Augusta area are now clear, Copenhaver said.

"This has been a really great job and a great response," Copenhaver said. "There's still a lot to do. We still have a lot of people out there with power."

Utility crews are working around the clock to restore power to the thousands of people who are still in the dark, and cleanup on the roads continues.